Sefer HaChinuch ספר החינוך

The commandment of lighting fire on the altar every day: To burn (some have the textual variant, to have) fire on the altar every day perpetually, as it is stated (Leviticus 6:6), “A perpetual fire shall burn on the altar.” And the explanation of perpetual came [that] it means to say to place wood in the morning and in the afternoon. And in the elucidation, they, may their memory be blessed, said (Yoma 21b), “Even though the fire descends from the Heavens, it is a commandment to bring [it also] from the commoners. And do not let it be difficult for you, to say, “What is this commandment — is it not that they, in any case, had to burn a fire for the sake of the sacrifice that they were obligated to bring, as it is impossible [to do so] without fire.” As this is a commandment on its own; since besides the fire for the sacrifice, they would place fire on the altar for this commandment — and as they, may their memory be blessed, expounded (Yoma 45a), there were three arrangements of fire [derived] from the verses, as we will write in the laws of this commandment.

From the roots of the commandment, [we need to] preface [that] the thing is known amongst us and among every sage that the great miracles that God does for people in His great goodness, He always does hiddenly. And these matters appear a little as if they were truly done by way of nature, or close to nature. As even with the miracle of the splitting of the sea — which was an open miracle — it is written there (Exodus 14:21), “and the Lord moved the sea with a powerful Eastern wind all of the night, and He made the sea into a dry place and He split the waters.” And the enlightened ones will understand that this matter of concealment is because of the loftiness of the Master and the lowliness of the receiver. And due to this matter did He command us to burn fire on the altar, even though fire descended there from the Heavens — in order to hide the miracle. It [also] appears that the fire that came down from the Heavens was not visible when it came down because of the reason that we said — except for the eighth day of the inauguration and that of Gidon (Judges 6:21), Manoach (Judges 13:20) (and of Eliyahu), which was visible.

But we still need to say what is the idea of the commandment to light a fire on the altar, besides the fire that is needed there for the sacrifice. [And we shall say] (And it appears) on the level of the simple understanding that it is like the matter that we wrote about the commandment of the bread of display (Sefer HaChinukh 97); that man is blessed, according to his deeds in which he is involved, in accordance with the will of his Creator. And through this approach, we said that blessing is found in all ordinary bread as a result of our involvement in the commandment of holy bread. [It is] as if you would say metaphorically that the blessing spreads in its type [of object]. And so too is the involvement in the commandment of the daily fire; that a person will be blessed in the matter of fire that he has.

And what is the fire that he has? It is a person’s nature — since of the four elements in a person, fire is the head of those four; as with it does a man strengthen himself and move to act. And therefore, he needs more blessing in it; and the matter of blessing is completeness — meaning to say a thing in which there is no lack, nor excess. And the fire in a person requires this blessing, such that a man will have what he needs: Not less, since his strength will weaken; and not more, since he will be burnt through it, in the way of people that die from too much of a supplement of it — and that is a burning fever. And the sons of Aharon increased fire without being commanded, and [so] fire was also increased in them, and they were burnt — as according to the actions of people does their punishment come, or does the blessing of God rest [in him] (upon them).

From the laws of the commandment is that which they, may their memory be blessed, said that even though the fire descended from the Heavens in the days of Moshe, it is a commandment to bring [it] from the commoners, as it is stated (Leviticus 1:7), “And the sons of Aharon shall place fire, etc.” And (Mishnah Tamid 2) they would set up wood in the morning and make a large arrangement of wood at the top of the altar, as it is stated (Leviticus 6:5), “and the priest would burn wood each morning.” And besides the wood that was set up in the arrangement, it was a commandment upon the priest to bring up two blocks of wood, as it is stated, “and the priest would burn wood (etsim, which is plural)” — and the minimum of etsim is two. And so [too,] would they add two blocks of wood with the daily afternoon sacrifice; and two priests would bring them up, as it is stated, “and they shall set up” — but [for that] of the morning, [it was only] one priest.

And they would make three arrangements of fire on the altar every day. The first one was large, [and] upon it were the daily sacrifice and the other sacrifices offered; the second one on its side was smaller than it, [and] the fire was taken from it in the censer to burn the incense every day; and the third arrangement did not have anything upon it, so as to fulfill the commandment of the fire, as it is stated, “A perpetual fire shall burn, etc.” (Yoma 43b). And there are three passages about the topic, which instruct about these three arrangements, as we learned from the tradition. As they, may their memory be blessed, said (Yoma 45b), “‘Upon its burning’ (Leviticus 6:2), that is the large arrangement; ‘and the fire of the altar shall burn upon it’ (Leviticus 6:2), that is the second arrangement of the incense; ‘And the fire on the altar shall burn upon it’ (Leviticus 6:5), that is the third arrangement for the fulfillment of the fire.” And the rest of its details are elucidated in the fourth chapter of Yoma and the second of Tamid.

And it is practiced at the time of the Temple by the males of the priesthood. And if the priests did not burn the third arrangement on the altar, they violated this positive commandment.